COVERLAND Vol.18: Hair - Hair Album Reviewed by SongBlog

This time we’re going to talk about a cover album, not just a song. The interesting thing is that the remake was done by the composer himself, a decade later. It was Gail MacDermot who composed the original score for the Broadway musical “Hair” and then adapted it for the 1979 film of the same name. Growing up as a youngster with the hippie counterculture as my ideal, I listened to the movie score every single day. Being a bassist, I continued to do so, even as I grew out of the hippie idiom. The album contains some of the coolest and most creative bass lines in the history of the instrument. And on top of all, there are those magnificent vocal interpretations on the entire album. The film score is just superb in every sense. When I found out that there was another, older version of the music, I immediately went out to find it (again, no internet back in those days.) I found the album in a second-hand record shop. The cover was very promising, but when I put it on my gramophone and listened to it for the first time, I felt disappointed. No powerful rhythm section, no funky guitars, where in the heck are those soulful singers?! It kind of ruined it for me. Luckily, I grew out of the disappointment also. The songs are so good that you can enjoy both versions equally. For me, the film version will always be the first choice, but the original 1969 version is equally inspiring.

The original album won a Grammy Award in 1969. The song “Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In” stayed the number one spot for six weeks in 1969. The song “Hair” also reached number one on the charts in 1969. Several other tunes from the album became anthems of the anti-Vietnam War peace movement. The musical's profanity, its depiction of the use of illegal drugs, its treatment of sexuality, its irreverence for the American flag, and its nude scene caused much comment and controversy. The musical broke new ground in musical theater by defining the genre of "rock musical," using a racially integrated cast, and inviting the audience onstage for a "Be-In" finale.